Jamie Ager, the Democrat nominee to represent NC-11 on the ballot this fall, has released his first TV ad, in which he promises to fight for Helene recovery funds for the people of western North Carolina and touted his local roots.
Western North Carolina is my home. I'm proud to have lived here and worked this land all my life. Check out and share our first TV ad of the campaign so that we can spread our message and fight for mountain families right here at home.#ncpol #wnc pic.twitter.com/vtwC2ZbRib
— Jamie Ager (@JamieAgerNC) August 18, 2026
The ad comes one day after President Trump endorsed state Rep. Jeniffer Balkcom, R-Henderson, who was recently tapped by Republicans to replace Rep. Chuck Edwards. Edwards recently announced that he would not be seeking re-election, following a report from the House Ethics Committee that found him in violation of the House Code of Official Conduct prohibiting sexual harassment.
In the second quarter of campaign finance reports, Ager outraised Edwards by almost nine times. According to Q2 campaign finance reports, Ager raised $1.4 million and has $2.2 million in cash on hand. Ager was also ahead in Q1 campaign finance reports.
“With the turmoil on the Republican side, a favorable national environment, and having raised over $3 million, it is probably Ager’s race to lose at this point,” Andy Jackson, director of the Civitas Center for Public Integrity at the John Locke Foundation, told the Carolina Journal. “So, we can expect him to play it safe unless his campaign gets some bad internal polling over the next two months. A soft candidate-introduction ad fits that playbook.”
“On the other hand, Balkcom may feel compelled to come out more aggressively to sharply differentiate herself and Ager,” continued Jackson. “President Trump did just that on her behalf in his Truth Social endorsement of her when he called Ager a “Radical Left Democrat” who wants massive tax increases and open borders, among other things. With the Balkcom campaign having little time to raise funds, they will probably need support from the National Republican Congressional Committee and super PACs to have a chance of winning.”
The ad created a lot of discussion online, with even conservative strategists commenting on the ad’s visual appeal, while others said that, despite the imagery, as a Democrat, Ager does not align with western North Carolina’s conservative values.
Ager is a fourth-generation farmer and is the CEO and co-founder of Hickory Nut Gap Farms just outside Asheville.
In the latest Carolina Journal poll, released on Aug. 13, of 600 likely North Carolina voters, 48.8% indicated that if the election were held today, they would vote for a Democratic candidate for US Congress, and 43.5% said they would vote for the Republican candidate; only 7.7% said they were unsure.
Democratic numbers are up slightly from the May poll, which was 48.2%, with Republicans holding steady at 43.5%.
